Unfortunately, sometimes your travel arrangements don't always go as planned. And if you feel you have a real issue to take up with your airline, you want to be heard, you want action, and you want resolution.

So what are your options? First of all, be informed before you travel. The Canadian Transportation Agency offers handy tools to help you prepare your trip, including its Fly Smart guide and links to major airlines’ tariffs.

An airline’s tariff lists your rights and responsibilities as a passenger, as well as those of the airline. It’s your contract when you buy your airline ticket.

It’s important to remember that tariffs vary from airline to airline. In other words, one airline might address a complaint differently from another airline.

But if after reviewing your airline’s tariff, you feel that it hasn't kept its end of the bargain, the fastest way to reach a solution is to first give them a chance to address your complaint.

Before we can help, contact your airline in writing and allow it 30 days to respond in writing.

If the airline does not respond or if you are not satisfied, the Canadian Transportation Agency may be able to help. We are experts at resolving air travel complaints for travel within, to and from Canada.

We can help air travellers resolve complaints on issues like flight disruptions and delays, lost, delayed or damaged, baggage, or denied boarding or bumping due to overbooking.

Our Complaint Wizard guides you quickly through the complaint process from A to Z. It explains how we can help.

If you're not satisfied with the airline's response, we can try to resolve your complaint through facilitation or mediation – fast and easy informal dispute resolution processes. The vast majority of complaints are resolved this way.

Where less formal processes don't prove successful, the Agency also offers a court-like process called adjudication, where a panel will make a decision based on the evidence provided.

The adjudication process can also be used in more complex cases where a passenger feels that the airline's contract is unclear, unjust, unreasonable or discriminatory.

Issues we can and can't help you with

We can help with complaints about

Most common

Flight delays, cancellations, missed connections, schedule changes

Note: Airlines usually aren't liable if:

the situation was unavoidable (weather conditions or force majeure)

you missed a connection and your itinerary involved multiple tickets

Baggage

For example:

lost, damaged or delayed baggage

baggage charges and size limits

transportation of pets as baggage

Tickets, reservations, air fares or charges

For example:

making changes to your itinerary (changing flights, dates, times or destinations)

Any air operator offering service to the public for passengers or goods within, to or from Canada must have a valid licence from the Agency.

If you have concerns about your air operator or know about an aircraft being used illegally, you can contact us. You do not have to identify yourself. Learn more.

Loyalty programs operated by the airline

For example:

missing points

redeeming points

reservations

Monopoly routes

You can submit a complaint about an air carrier's fares or rates on domestic routes that have little or no competition. We may review the fares or rates to see if they are reasonable or if the range of fares or rates offered is adequate. Learn more.

Failure to give notice when reducing service to a community

You can submit a complaint about an airline failing to give notice of reduced or discontinued service to a community. This only applies to domestic routes in certain situations. Learn more.

Contact the Competition Bureau about unfair competitive practices, mergers or acquisitions, or the predatory behaviour of air carriers operating in Canada.

Bilingual service

Only Air Canada and its affiliates must follow Canada's Official Languages Act. For language complaints against Air Canada or its affiliates, please contact the airline directly. If you are not satisfied, you can contact the Commissioner of Official Languages.